


Negotiations

by Evandar



Category: Iron Man (Movies)
Genre: Friends to Lovers, Fuckbuddies To Lovers, M/M, PTSD - Implied, Relationship Negotiation, Tony Stark Has Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-15
Updated: 2014-09-15
Packaged: 2018-02-17 13:45:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2311712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Evandar/pseuds/Evandar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There's something Tony really wants to talk to Rhodey about.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Negotiations

**Author's Note:**

  * For [heeroluva](https://archiveofourown.org/users/heeroluva/gifts).



> This is a pairing I've ever written before, but one that I ship wholeheartedly. I hope you like it.

"We need to talk."

Rhodey snorted, ran his hand over his head. "Yeah," he said. "About what the hell you think you're doing, Tony. Not making weapons anymore? Really?"

"Not when they're killing our - you know, that's not what I'm here to talk about. Fancy lunch?"

Rhodey looked at him. Really looked, for the first time since he'd dragged Tony into his arms in the desert and called him a crazy son of a bitch. Something in his expression softened, and he sighed.

"Sure," he said. "Business meeting, right?"

Tony nodded. "Right."

It was hard not to touch him on the drive to the nearest decent restaurant; to not rest his hand on Rhodey’s knee or drape his arm over the back of his seat. They weren’t that kind of couple even when they _were_ a couple, but the temptation was there. There had been so many times in the cave when Tony had reached out to try and find a body next to him. When he'd stared into the dark and wondered if Rhodey had been killed with the other soldiers or if he'd got away. When he'd almost told Yinsen that there was someone, actually, but that DADT prevented them from going public - and it would have been easy to lie and pretend that it was the military's fault that they hadn't taken their off-on fling any further.

Tony was firmly of the opinion that he'd wasted enough time being a naive idiot, and he wasn't just talking about the weapons. When you hallucinate about someone screaming your name while having open heart surgery in a cave, it's time to 'fess up. 

"I love you," he said, part way through his linguine. He’d spent most of the first course debating how to lead into it. Were love confessions supposed to be out of the blue, or did you lead up nice and slow? It wasn’t like he was an expert or anything. But he’d figured, pretty much as soon as the plates with the main course had been set down, that it would be better to just say it and screw the consequences. 

He was doing a lot of that lately.

Rhodey coughed. Sipped his water - who had water on a lunch date? - and coughed again. "You okay?" he asked. 

"Why does everyone keep asking that? No, don't answer. Look, I'm fine. Better than I've been in ages. I just had some of priorities changed when I was out there, and you were one of them. I noticed that I'm an idiot and that I love you, and that I should probably tell you in case I don't get a chance to."

"Tony."

Tony, who was drinking water only out of solidarity, took as big a drink he could and retain his dignity. It was better than letting his mouth go on without his brain in gear.

"You know I can't," Rhodey said. "Not officially."

"So we wait for Don't Ask to be repealed before splashing it all over the headlines," Tony replied. "You know there's a ton of pressure on Washington to change it."

"I know." Rhodey was quiet for a moment. Tony fiddled with his fork. This was usually the point where a significant other - not that Rhodey was; not _officially_ \- would confess some sort of undying devotion or start some kind of awkward break up process, but so far...nada. Good thing he wasn't nervous or anything. Hell, he was Tony Stark. Love confessions weren't a thing he did - except he did, just now, and he wished Rhodey would say something. Anything. 

"I already knew, Tony," was not what he'd been expecting to hear. "I just didn't think you'd ever come to terms with it. I mean, Tony Stark doesn't do monogamy. That's for lesser mortals."

"Funny," Tony said, rolling his eyes. "Did everyone except me know?"

"You think you hid it from _Pepper_? She knows more about you than you do. But other than her?" He trailed off shaking his head, and that made Tony feel better, at least. "Not as far as I know."

"Good," he said. "That's good." A waiter materialising to whisk away their empty plates gave him time to file that revelation away. "So what do you say?" he asked when they were alone again. He didn't - really, _really_ didn't - want to make this more awkward by including an audience who would no doubt love to get a chance to sell the story. 

Not that he ever went to restaurants with indiscreet staff, he just didn't trust people. Not anymore. Being blown up by your own tech would make anyone a paranoid bastard, and Tony was no different. 

"Aside from the part where I could lose my job over it -"

"That risk has always been there, just sayin'."

"And if you'd let me finish?" Rhodey said, and he sounded exasperated. 

But the waiter chose that moment to return with the desert menu, and he cut himself off, glaring steadily across the table as Tony ordered a tiramisu. 

He didn't speak again until after the tiramisu had been delivered, a slice for each of them, because nothing said 'sorry, I'm an ass' like coffee and cake forged together into the ultimate 'forgive me' combo. "As I was saying," he said slowly. "There's always been the risk that I could lose my job if this goes public, but I wouldn't have taken that risk in the first place if I didn't think it was worth it."

Tony figured that was as close to a "let's do this" as he was going to get without sake. 

"Awesome," he said. "And you know, we'll - I'll - be totally discreet until Washington gets a clue. They'll never know."

Rhodey snorted at that. "Right," he said. "I must have lost my mind."

"Masochist," Tony replied, but he was smiling. For the first time in a long time, the arc reactor didn't feel heavy in his chest, and a strange sort of peace seemed to be spreading out from it. 

They finished their tiramisu in silence. It was calm, soothing, like the good times with Rhodey always were - and, really, how had he not been tipped off to how he felt years ago?

"Drop you back at base?" he offered once the bill was paid and they were settled in his car. He didn't want to. It felt like it would be a waste of their new accord. At the same time, though, he knew from experience that pushing Rhodey never worked. He was a stubborn bastard - it was one of the reasons why Tony liked him so much. Well, that and the unshakeable loyalty. 

Rhodey looked at him, and Tony could have sworn that he heard the guy thinking. "Nah," he said after a moment. "Yours. I can always pass it off as an attempt to change your mind with your own scotch if anyone asks."

There was a promise there; a promise that Tony really, _really_ wanted to investigate further. "You're playing a dangerous game, Rhodes," he said.


End file.
